After posting a quick write up on my new Dyson handheld vacuum, I got to thinking about sponsored posts and whether or not they can destroy a bloggers credibility.

People read blogs for numerous reasons. Some visit their favorite blogs because blogs often report breaking news before mainstream media picks it up, others read blogs because the information just isn’t available anywhere else, but most people read blogs because they see value in what a blogger is blogging about. For example, I visit The Superficial to get my entertainment gossip, TechCrunch to learn about new internet startups and Engadget to get my tech news fix.

Each of these blogs has competitors that also post related information, but I goto these blogs because I enjoy the writers style and appreciate how they deliver their news. If any of these sites change the way their posts are written (unless its temporary), there is a good chance I’ll find my news elsewhere.

Now getting back to the original question of whether or not sponsored posts can destroy a bloggers credibility, I think it depends on the type of blog you visit. If you religiously read a computer hardware review blog, and base your purchasing decisions on their opinions then would you have the same level of trust in their future reviews if you found out that their review of that video card you just purchased was actually paid for by ATI? If so, what about if you find out that ATI specifically asked for a positive review?

Companies such as PayPerPost and ReviewMe help bring advertisers and bloggers together to make it easier for the average blogger to get a sponsored post gig. While you cannot request a positive review on ReviewMe, you can as an advertiser request only positive reviews on PayPerPost. Back in December 2006, PayPerPost made changes to usage guidelines that made it mandatory for bloggers to disclose that their posts are sponsored posts. While this ensures some form of transparency, a reader cannot determine if a review is legit or not; bloggers do not have to disclose that a positive only review was requested. ReviewMe was the newcomer to the market, and they basically learned from PayPerPost’s mistakes to launch a better service.

While it is debatable whether or not posting sponsored reviews can destroy your credibility, you can ensure you remain as transparent as possible when posting paid reviews by fully disclosing all details of your posts so as to not mislead your readers. Also, I would personally recommend ReviewMe if you want to make money by writing reviews because you do have the option to be completely honest and write a negative review.

Theres one more day to take advantage of ReviewMe’s half price promotion, and I’m on the fence on whether or not I should order up a few reviews of my blog to see how I am doing. I guess I’ll have to make a decision by tommorow. I almost want to stress to the reviewer to be harsh so I can fix all the problems of my blog and get it going in the right direction if I am doing it all wrong.

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